You Need To Get Out More
by forensicsfan
Summary: COMPLETE - NS - Sometimes getting out more isn't all that it's cracked up to be; however, sometimes even the worst time can turn out better than you ever imagined.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own them, I didn't create them, and I don't profit from the, but I'd love to buy George and Jorja a cup of coffee.

**Author's Note:** This idea wouldn't leave me alone, and I haven't abandoned my other fic, I just needed to get this one underway.

* * *

Sara couldn't remember the last time she'd been out to a club, but Nick and Warrick had insisted that she come with them and after a little finagling, she finally agreed. Partly because the club was owned by a friend of Warrick's and partly because she really wanted to blow off some steam after the case they'd all just worked and dancing just sounded like the way to do it. She had agreed to meet them at the club and as she sat perched on a barstool sipping a beer waiting for them to arrive, she wondered what in the hell was taking them both so long. She had simply gone home and quickly changed into a pair of low-rise jeans and a floral print spaghetti strapped top edged with lace before heading back out again. 

Out of the corner of her eye, Sara saw an attractive blond man slide onto the stool next to her and she didn't give him another thought until she felt someone's warm breath tickle her ear.

"Hey, sexy, wanna dance?" The voice was attached to the man who had just sat down.

Sara immediately bristled, but then forced herself to relax, reasoning that this was typical of men who went clubbing, and as she turned to look at him, she liked what she saw, and since Nick and Warrick still hadn't arrived, she figured she might as well dance. A half smirk flitted across her face. "Sure."

She found her drink being pulled out of her hand and set on the bar as the man propelled them towards the dance floor as a fast techno number began to play. Over the din of the crowd she found out that his name was Brian and he was in town for the weekend. He seemed to be a good dancer and Sara found herself having a really good time. She didn't even notice when Nick and Warrick walked into the club.

It wasn't until the third song when Sara wanted to take a breather and check for the guys that Brian didn't seem to want to stop dancing. The song was considerably slower and he had grabbed Sara around the waist and pulled her a little closer. She didn't really think much of it and decided that he was just into the music, until he pulled her even closer and whispered in her ear.

"You're pretty hot, baby, what do you say we get out of here?" It was a command more than a question and his meaning became very clear as he ground into her with his pelvis as his hand grabbed her butt and pulled her close all the while moving towards the edge of the dance floor and the darkest part of the club.

Sara stiffened and pushed against his chest even as she felt a pair of lips on her neck. "Let go of me you asshole." She couldn't quite get away from him because her arms were pressed between her body and his chest and she felt a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach as she felt a hand go up the back of her shirt.

"You know you want it." Brian didn't seem at all concerned that Sara was doing her best to get away from him and he tried to slide his hand around from the back to the front of her shirt.

That was all it took for Sara to find room to bring her heel down hard on his instep.

Fire flashed in Brian's eyes and his fingers gripped her side hard, bruising her flesh. "Bitch."

Sara narrowed her eyes at him and gritted her teeth. "Let go of me you asshole."

"You heard the lady." Nick Stokes looked fit to be tied and ready to kick this guy's ass. "Let her go."

"She's with me cowboy, so why don't you just put your white hat back on, get on your horse and ride off into the sunset." Brian it seemed didn't realize when he was outmatched and as he dug his fingers harder into her flesh with one hand and reached for a fistful of Sara's blouse with the other to keep her in his control, a firm hand descended on his shoulder.

Warrick's voice sounded intimidating as he glared at Brian. "She is not with you, and if you don't let her go, you're going to find yourself in lockup."

"Mind your own business, buddy." Brian glared at Warrick and let his attention waver from Sara just a brief second, just enough time for her to bring her leg up and knee him in the groin. "Damn you, bitch." He doubled over, letting go of Sara in the process.

"You ok, Sar?" Nick sounded concerned as he saw her lower lip quiver and he quickly pulled her into his embrace hearing her stifle a sniffle in his ear as she relaxed against him.

"Sara, do you want to press charges?" Warrick had a firm grip on Brian's collar as he regarded her in Nick's protective embrace.

"I didn't do anything. She was coming on to me." Brian was lamely protesting Warrick's not so veiled accusation.

"Save it man." Warrick growled.

Nick whispered in Sara's ear. "What do you want us to do with this guy?" He was glaring at Brian who was now flanked by two bouncers in addition to Warrick.

"Just get him the hell out of here." She whispered back not wanting to leave Nick's arms.

"You gonna be ok?" Nick furrowed his brow. He had seen much of what had transpired on the dance floor and at first he was glad that Sara seemed to be having a good time, but then as he had watched Brian putting the moves on her, he had elbowed Warrick and they'd decided to step in.

"I think I just want to get out of here." She whispered back. "I'm sorry."

Nick glanced up and gestured to Warrick who was talking with one of the bouncers that he was going to leave with Sara. "Hey, I'll take you home."

"But my car..." Sara began to protest.

"I rode with Warrick. I'll drive you." Nick insisted.

"Ok." She pulled out of his embrace and smiled at him as she wiped at her eyes to remove any traces of the few tears that she had shed. The fact that she hadn't been able to hold her own without some help had left her feeling a bit shaken and vulnerable and she didn't protest when Nick slid a protective arm around her waist and led her out of the club and into the parking lot. As they approached her car, she fished her key out of the pocket of her jeans and handed it to Nick.

Nick gave her a concerned look as he unlocked the door. "I'm really sorry about that jerk." He hated it when guys acted like that; he'd run into plenty just like him in college too.

"It's not your fault." Sara replied softly looking into his eyes. "I'm a big girl; he was just a lot bigger." She sniffled again and let out an embarrassed chuckle as she climbed into the passenger seat of her compact car.

Nick made his way around to the driver's side of the vehicle and slid behind the wheel, wishing in the back of his mind that he'd knocked the guy upside the head for manhandling Sara. The drive to her apartment was made in a comfortable silence and as they pulled into her lot, Nick turned to look at her. "You want me to come in for a while, or should I call Warrick and have him come over and pick me up?"

She turned to face him, a look of vulnerability on her face. "Come in for a while."

"Ok." He smiled at her, hiding his concern because she really seemed to be shaken that she hadn't been able to take care of herself.

As they entered her apartment, Sara walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. "You want something to drink?"

"Sure." Nick watched her closely as she bent over and pulled out two beers. Her shirt rode up just slightly and he could see angry red marks on her skin where Brian had grabbed her. "Sara?" He couldn't hide the concern in his voice.

She straightened up, wincing slightly and set the beers on the counter as she closed the refrigerator with her foot. "What?"

"He hurt you." Nick tentatively stepped towards her and pulled the edge of her shirt up to show her what he had seen.

Sara closed her eyes and nodded. "Yeah, I know." The feel of Nick's fingers on her skin was so different than what Brian had felt like and she involuntarily sucked her breath in as he gently pulled the shirt up further to see how far the marks spread, being careful not to make her feel exposed.

"We can still have him arrested." Anger edged Nick's words.

"I know but it probably wouldn't stick, it would be a he said she said and I think its more trouble than it's worth. I really don't ever want to see the guy again." Sara knew that she probably could press charges, but she also knew how the legal system worked and realized that the odds that he would be convicted were minimal at best; still if he did it to her, he might do it to someone else.

Nick unconsciously continued to caress her skin. "I really am sorry that prick hurt you. Warrick and I should have gotten there sooner."

Sara furrowed her brow and slid her arms around his neck, enjoying the sensation his fingers were providing probably far too much. "It's not your fault." She rested her head on his shoulder.

"I still feel responsible because I care about you." Nick whispered.

"I care about you too." Sara whispered back and her voice sounded a bit husky; seeming to carry an extra meaning as her breath tickled Nick's neck.

Nick was suddenly aware of just how good it felt to hold Sara in his arms and just how soft her skin was under his touch. He considered that maybe they were crossing a line somewhere and wondered if that was a good idea, when he felt Sara's lips pressing against his neck.

He smelled so good, and he felt so strong, and the touch of his fingers on her skin was causing delicious sensations and before she could stop herself, she kissed his neck. When he didn't stiffen or pull away, she planted another one, and then another, slowly making her way toward his mouth.

As Sara's lips moved up his neck, Nick found his hand drifting further up her shirt and splaying out across her back. He finally dipped his head and stopped her quest by capturing her lips with his own.

They stood there in her kitchen for a long time like that, trading slow deep kisses, Nick's hand caressing the skin underneath the back of her shirt, neither one of them really seeming to care that they had definitely crossed the line of friendship.

The sound of someone knocking on the door finally caused them to step apart from each other; Sara's face registered uncertainty until an impish smile began to pull at Nick's lips. She cleared her throat and unconsciously smoothed her shirt down, gesturing towards the door. "I should get that." She began to walk towards the door and then suddenly stopped and turned back towards Nick with an incredulous expression on her face. "That was one hell of a kiss."


	2. Chapter 2

"You have got to be kidding!" Nick was incredulous at what Warrick had just shared with him and Sara.

"I know it's ridiculous, but he seems to think that Sara may have compromised his ability to produce children in the future because of her well placed knee." Warrick glanced over at Sara with a smirk.

She just sat there with a stoic expression on her face at what Warrick had just told them. She hadn't been surprised to find that he was the one knocking on the door, and she'd let him in without much more than a hug and a few words being exchanged. Now Nick was pacing in frustration and Warrick was trying to be logical.

"So he's going to press assault charges against her when he's the one who hurt her?" Nick was wishing that he'd gone ahead and given Brian at least one well placed punch for what he'd done to Sara.

Warrick looked over at Sara in concern. "What else did he do, Sara?" He knew that she'd been shaken up emotionally, but he hadn't realized that she'd been physically hurt as well.

Sara slowly lifted the edge of her shirt to reveal the finger-sized bruises where Brian had dug his fingers into her flesh already beginning to turn purplish.

Just the sight of them caused Nick to clench his jaw a bit harder. "That's gonna be a little tough for him to explain."

"Damn, girl." Warrick winced as Sara lowered her shirt.

Sara let out a sigh. "Look, we may as well go down to PD so I can file a report against him. I'm sure that we're going to need to get pictures of this too." She really wished that there was another way to handle this situation because she certainly didn't want to see the jerk again, but if there was one thing that she trusted it was the evidence. She knew that Brian might try and deny it, but the evidence along with Nick and Warrick's eyewitness accounts would say otherwise.

Nick's expression softened as he regarded Sara and he walked over and sat down next to her on the couch, reaching over and taking her hand in his. "I'm really sorry we didn't get there sooner."

She glanced up at him and smiled. "Hey, it's not your fault." She looked over at Warrick. "You guys got there, that's the important thing. If he'd gotten me out of the club, I'm not sure what would have happened." Actually, she was fully aware of what could have happened. If the guy was willing to assault her in front of other people, he most likely had one agenda on his mind, and the thought occurred to Sara that she probably wasn't the first woman that he'd tried this on.

Nick squeezed her hand, he too was well aware of what might have happened.

"Darren said he was going to press charges against Brian for disorderly conduct in his club, but I'm sure once the paperwork is processed and he posts bail, he'll probably walk." Warrick was glad that his friend had the foresight to press charges giving them the time to get down to PD and file a report, and since Sara was technically a part of the LVPD they would be able to file felony assault charges.

"Let's just get this over with." Sara let out a tired sigh. She had wanted to let off steam after their case wrapped up, and after they'd all worked several double shifts in the last week on it, Grissom had given all three of them the night off. And now here they were in the middle of another case, only this one was personal.

Warrick noticed that Nick didn't let go of Sara's hand as they got up off of the couch and headed out to his rig, and he raised a quizzical eyebrow when neither one of them jumped into the front seat, opting to take the backseat together instead. As he started the ignition, he was about to ask them about it when he glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Nick put his arm around Sara's shoulder and lean over and kiss the top of her head. Sara closed her eyes and relaxed against him. Warrick made a mental note to ask about this apparent change in their relationship after this mess with Brian was behind them.

A short time later, as the three walked into the police department, they ran into Grissom with Brass right behind him. "What are you three doing here? I thought I gave you the night off." Grissom looked slightly confused.

Before either of the guys could say anything, Sara cut to the chase. "I need to file assault charges against some guy we had a run in with at a club."

Grissom's eyes widened in worry as he considered all of the possibilities. "But you're ok?"

Sara nodded. "Just some bruises."

"Does this guy have a name?" Brass immediately wanted to pull himself in on the loop.

"Brian King." Warrick interjected quickly, his tone indicating that he'd like to wipe the floor up with the guy.

Grissom and Brass exchanged a glance before either of them said anything further. Brass took the lead. "I think we should take this into my office."

Sara, Nick, and Warrick exchanged perplexed glances and followed Brass and Grissom as they turned and headed back in the direction from which they'd just come. As they all filed into the office, Warrick closed the door behind them.

Sara didn't mince words. "What the hell is going on?"

Grissom tried to be direct, but kind at the same time. "Sara, what exactly did Brian King do to you?"

She unceremoniously lifted her shirt up high enough to show them the bruises on her side that Brian had left. "He asked me to dance and when I was done he wouldn't let me go. He kept insisting that we leave together. Nick and Warrick had to help me out."

"Course her knee helped things out quite a bit." Warrick quipped, proud of the hit she landed.

Grissom furrowed his brow. "Other than that did he do anything?"

Sara shook her head and narrowed her gaze at him and Brass. "No. Now will you tell me what the hell is going on?"

Brass cleared his throat. "Brian King isn't Brian King. He's Jeremy Carlson. The responding officer determined that he had falsely identified himself and so at the minimum he faces a misdemeanor charge."

Grissom continued. "He also appears to match the description of an unnamed suspect in several sexual assault cases, as well as an attempted murder case."

The color drained out of Sara's face and she felt like her throat was constricting as the realization of what his intentions had been sunk in.

Just as her legs were about to give way, Nick wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "I've got you, Sar."

"Sara, we're going to need to get photographs of those bruises. I can call Catherine if you'd be more comfortable." Grissom shifted into investigator mode, not quite knowing how to deal with the strong woman in front of him who seemed to have turned into an emotional puddle in Nick's arms.

Sara nodded, closing her eyes as she rested her head on Nick's shoulder as he stroked her hair. "You'll do a line up too?"

"As soon as we get him processed we'll put together a line up." Brass confirmed.

"Catherine should be at the lab; I'll call her and let her know you're coming." Grissom's tone was gentle.

"We're on it." Nick responded as Sara stepped out of his embrace.

"All of you are hands off on this. If he's who we think he is, we can't afford for him to get off on a technicality." Grissom knew that they all knew that, but he had to say it for the record, lest their emotional tie to this case cloud their judgement.

Nick literally glared at Grissom. "We know."

Grissom nodded somberly as the three younger CSIs trailed out of the office and his eyebrows curved upwards in surprise as he saw Nick reach over and take Sara's hand.


	3. Chapter 3

Catherine gave Nick a very pointed look. "Nick, can you go get a shirt out of Sara's locker so we can check the shirt she's wearing into evidence?" The way he seemed to be clinging to Sara, Catherine knew she was going to have to give him a task to do to get him out of the room. Regardless of whatever had transpired between her two coworkers, Catherine was sure that Sara would prefer that they get the photo documentation of the bruises out of the way as soon as possible and without an audience.

Sara glanced at Nick with a pleading expression.

Nick just nodded and kissed the top of Sara's head before he gave her shoulder a squeeze and headed for the doorway. He hadn't thought twice at the affectionate gesture he'd bestowed on Sara, but it had caused Catherine's eyebrows to curve upward ever so slightly.

"Nick." Catherine's tone stopped Nick at the door.

He turned and looked at her expectantly. "Yeah, Cath?"

Catherine smirked. "When you come back, stay outside."

He gave her a sheepish grin and then glanced over at Sara and gave her a soft smile before he disappeared through the door.

As the door closed, Sara let out a deep sigh and looked at Catherine. "Let's just get this over with." She unceremoniously pulled her shirt over her head and placed it in an evidence bag that Catherine had brought in for just that purpose.

"He really got you didn't he?" Catherine winced at the ugly purple bruises.

"Yeah." Sara looked determined as she crossed her arms over her front to keep herself covered since she hadn't been wearing a bra. "But we're going to make sure he can't ever do this to anyone else."

"You better believe we are." Catherine smiled at Sara's strength. Grissom had filled her in on who they thought Sara's assailant really was and she had set in her mind to work this as meticulously as she'd ever worked any high profile case. She quickly began to photograph the injury and when she was just about done a soft tap sounded on the door to the exam room.

"That's probably Nick with my shirt." Sara reasoned, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

"Right." There was a hint of amusement in Catherine's voice that she couldn't quite hide. She really wanted to quiz Sara on what exactly had changed between her and Nick, but she knew that now really wasn't the time. Catherine walked over and cracked the door open.

"I didn't know which shirt she'd want, so I brought the whole bag." Nick had the sound of someone who was overtalking because he was nervous.

"Thanks, Nicky." Catherine took the bag from him and shut the door, as she turned around she smirked at Sara as she set the bag down. "He brought you the whole fall collection."

Sara tried to stifle an embarrassed smile, furrowing her brow as she cleared her throat. "So are we almost done?"

"Yeah, I just need to get a couple more shots." Catherine responded dryly. She took a few more photos and then smiled. "We're done here. You can get dressed."

Sara crouched down and unzipped the bag and pulled out the first shirt she found, quickly pulling it on. As she stood up she looked at Catherine who was labeling the evidence bag that contained her shirt. "I assume you're going to check for epithelials on the inside of the shirt."

Catherine nodded. "Anything we can do to bury this guy in evidence."

Sara nervously cleared her throat. "You may find Nick's on there too." She had determined that full disclosure was the best route to go if she ended up having to eventually testify.

Catherine raised an eyebrow. "What were Nick's hands doing underneath your shirt?" As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she realized how naive it must have sounded. "Never mind, don't answer that. It's none of my business." She raised her hands in mock surrender as she let out a soft chuckle.

"He didn't intentionally contaminate evidence." Sara immediately jumped to Nick's defense. If she had been thinking clearly at the time, which she had found nearly impossible in the middle of that kiss she'd shared with Nick, she might have realized that her shirt was potential evidence. "We, uh, were."

Catherine cut her off. "You don't need to give me a play by play, what you two do on your night off is your business." She smiled at Sara. "Don't worry, I'll make sure that Greg runs you and Nick as exclusion samples so we can narrow down anything our guy left behind."

"Thanks, Cath." Sara could feel her cheeks burning.

Catherine smiled at her. "I'm just going to go check this into evidence." She picked up the bagged shirt and the camera and walked over to the door. As she opened it she let out an amused laugh at Nick who was pacing impatiently in front of it.

Nick stopped and looked at Catherine. "Are you done?"

She nodded and then whispered conspiratorially. "Be careful, you're wearing your heart on your sleeve, you don't want to scare her off now." Catherine winked and then headed down the hallway.

Nick stepped into the room where Sara was zipping her duffel bag closed. "Hey." He smiled softly at her as she looked up.

"Hey." For some reason Sara wanted nothing more than to have Nick take her home and hold her for the rest of the night. She tried to reason in her mind that what she'd experienced was mild compared to what some women went through, but the knowledge that she'd almost been the victim of a suspected serial rapist and possible murderer, had really left her feeling vulnerable.

"Brass called a few minutes ago. He's got a lineup ready if you want to swing by PD." Nick wanted to pull her into his arms and hold her just then, but he knew that the middle of the lab was not the place, especially considering the encounter that they'd had in her kitchen earlier.

Sara nodded as she stood and then smiled as Nick took the bag from her hand. "Is Warrick still around?" It occurred to her that neither she nor Nick had a vehicle since he'd ridden with Warrick to the club and he'd driven them both here from her apartment.

"Uh, yeah, he's waiting for us in the break room." Nick wasn't really aware that he'd taken Sara's hand in his as they walked down the hallway.

A smile stole over Sara's face at the sensation of Nick's hand wrapped protectively around hers. It occurred to her that someone might see them holding hands and raise a few eyebrows, but at that moment she really didn't care.

As they approached the break room Warrick met them at the door. "You ready to do this?"


	4. Chapter 4

The line up really didn't take very long at all. Sara took less than a second to identify the man who had called himself Brian, Warrick and Nick concurred. That was enough to press assault charges against him and hold him until they were able to compare the DNA sample they'd compelled against the samples from the unsolved rapes and the attempted murder that he was asuspect in.

As the trio headed out to the parking lot, Nick slung his arm unapologetically around Sara's shoulder, and as the pair slid into the backseat of Warrick's rig, Warrick chuckled to himself. He kept glancing back at the pair and surmised by their body language that Nick most likely wasn't going to be needing a ride home. And it wasn't as if they were making out back there either, the soft touches and the affectionate glances between Nick and Sara seemed to be much more intimate than any kiss. It appeared that four years of flirtation had sparked a fire sometime between when they had left the club and when he had appeared on Sara's doorstep.

Warrick pulled into the parking lot of Sara's apartment complex and glanced in the rearview mirror. "Nick, you want me to give you a lift home?" He was fairly certain that he already knew the answer.

Nick looked at Sara before he answered Warrick's question. "No, man, I think I'm gonna hang out with Sara for a while and then I'll just get a cab or something."

Warrick wanted to quip 'oh, so that's what they're calling it these days, or something', but he kept his retort to himself. "Ok, I'll see you guys later then."

"Thanks, Warrick." Sara reached forward and touched his shoulder, smiling as his hand covered hers for a brief moment.

"You need anything, Sara, just let me know." Warrick truly cared for her, they had gotten off to a rough start when she'd come to Vegas specifically to investigate him, but they'd forged a good friendship after the dust had settled.

"I will." She couldn't help but smile as she felt Nick's fingers lace with hers as they descended from the vehicle.

As Warrick drove off, they slowly made their way up the stairs to Sara's second floor apartment, pausing for a moment as she fumbled with the keys and then opened the door.

Sara noticed the beers that they'd never opened sitting on the counter and a smile pulled at the corners of her mouth as she gestured towards them. "We never got around to drinking those."

Nick smirked. "No we didn't."

Sara eyed him hungrily. "Are you thirsty?"

He shook his head and stepped towards her, tucking her hair behind her ear and caressing her cheek in the process. "Not really."

Sara's voice was breathy as she closed her eyes. "Me either."

And then Nick's lips were softly brushing against hers, testing the waters to see where she wanted to go with this.

Sara hungrily reciprocated the kiss, nibbling at his lower lip as her hands slid up his chest and around his neck. She felt Nick's arms slide around her waist and she flinched slightly as he skimmed over the bruises and he suddenly pulled back with his brow furrowed.

"I'm sorry." He wanted to kiss her senseless, but he also didn't want to hurt her.

A mischievous smile flitted across Sara's face as she leaned up and kissed him briefly, taking his hand in hers and leading him down the hallway towards her bedroom. She knew exactly what she wanted and she wasn't going to let any damn bruise get in her way.

Nick had a mixture of surprise and undisguised pleasure on his face at what Sara seemed to imply by her actions. He paused for a moment as he watched her kick off her shoes and crawl onto her bed, looking back at him with a grin. He kicked his own shoes off and crawled up next to her, satisfied to let her take the lead in wherever this was going to go.

She scooted close to him, her face a fraction of an inch from his. "Are you hungry?"

Nick rested his hand on her hip and looked at the mischief dancing in her eyes. "Yeah. You?"

She nodded, eyeing his lips. "Yeah." She leaned in and kissed him soundly, her fingers lightly trailing up his chest.

They began trading kisses, soft at first then slowly giving way to deeper more passionate ones, and as the intensity of the kisses increased so did the intensity of their touches. Nick's hand found it's way underneath Sara's shirt and he felt himself becoming excited at the realization that she wasn't wearing a bra. Sara found Nick's touch like a tiny piece of heaven and she wanted more, a lot more. She began tugging at the hem of his shirt, wanting to touch the muscular planes of his back.

It wasn't long before an array of discarded clothing decorated Sara's bedroom floor and she and Nick were doing a fine job of working their way to ecstatic bliss between the sheets. A short time later, they lay tangled together under the sweat soaked sheets trying to catch their breaths.

"Now I am thirsty." Sara murmured thinking that even the lukewarm beers sitting on her counter sounded good about now.

Nick let out a soft chuckle; he had to agree he was thirsty too. He hadn't had sex that good in a long time. He kissed her forehead and disentangled himself from her before pulling the sheet back. "I'll go get us something to drink." He flashed her a grin as he pulled himself out of bed, picking up his discarded boxers from the floor and pulling them on before heading into the kitchen to retrieve a couple of cold beers from the fridge.

As Nick padded back into Sara's bedroom, drinking in her lithe body underneath the sheet with his eyes and remembering how every little nuance of her skin felt against his he couldn't help but smile. He handed her an open bottle of beer as he crawled back onto the bed, reclining next to her and taking a sip of his own beer.

Sara smirked at Nick. "You're a little overdressed." She wasn't sure about him, but she was hoping for round two in whatever form that might take.

Nick winked at her. "Are you trying to seduce me?"

She smiled at him coyly. "I already did."

With that, Nick pounced on her, spilling beer all over the place in the process. After an extensive cleanup, they both fell asleep in each other's arms feeling rather satisfied.


	5. Chapter 5

The sound of a ringing cell phone on the floor pierced Nick's sleep clouded mind and he fumbled around in the general direction of the noise until he found the phone just beside the bed, quickly flipping it open without giving the caller ID a glance. "Stokes."

"Nick, why are you answering Sara's phone?" Grissom's distinctive voice brought Nick fully awake; he hadn't been alert enough to realize that he was at Sara's apartment, in Sara's bed, and that he'd reached for Sara's phone.

Panic shot through Nick for a moment but before he could answer Grissom's question, Sara began to stir next to him. "Nick, baby, who's on the phone." Her voice was sleepy, but happy.

"Grissom." Nick swallowed hard and glanced at Sara who was now snuggling up next to him.

"Nick, I need to talk to Sara." Grissom sounded all business, but he felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach at hearing Sara's sleepy voice in the background.

"What's he saying?" Sara had a smile on her face as she recalled the activities that had left her feeling sore and she relished the feel of Nick's skin against hers as she molded her body against his and kissed his neck.

"He wants to talk to you." Nick whispered quietly, a smile coming unbidden to his face as he considered whether or not they had enough time before work to get reacquainted again.

Sara rested her head on Nick's shoulder and reached for the phone. "Hey, Grissom." She didn't even make an effort to sound awake.

"I woke you." It wasn't a question, just an observation that Grissom wasn't terribly pleased with considering that he'd apparently woken Nick up as well in whispering distance of Sara.

"We were sleeping." There was a lilt in her tone that implied that she and Nick hadn't just slept.

"Oh." Grissom was a bit taken aback that Sara didn't seem to care what he thought.

"We're not late for work are we?" Sara hadn't looked at the clock yet, but she was fairly certain that they had plenty of time to languish in bed for quite a while before they needed to get up and get ready for work.

"Uh, no." Grissom had momentarily lost his train of thought.

"Then what did you want?" There was an impatience in Sara's voice that she didn't even seem to hear.

Nick couldn't restrain the smile that spread across his face as he watched Sara talk and he began to trail his fingers along her arm with one hand and with the other he stroked her hair.

"The DNA is a match." Grissom finally got his mind back on track, but began mid-thought.

"DNA?" Sara took a minute to figure out what he was talking about; Nick's fingers were becoming a bit of a distraction.

"Brian King a.k.a. Jeremy Carlson. His DNA matches the DNA collected from the unsolved rapes and that attempted murder, as well as two unsolved murders up in Reno." Grissom was succinct in his delivery of the information. There was a part of him that was feeling regret that he'd never acted on his feelings for Sara, but he knew that Nick was a good man and more than anything, he wanted Sara to be happy.

"So we've got him then." Sara breathed out a sigh of relief; it was highly unlikely that she would have to testify against him at all given the amount of physical evidence tying him to other cases. "That's good."

"Yes." Grissom could tell that she really didn't want to talk further. "Sara."

"Yeah?" She was smiling at Nick who was caressing her cheek.

"Nick's a good man." Grissom couldn't blame Sara for moving on, he didn't think that he could take the risk necessary to pursue her and if she was happy with Nick, he wasn't going to do anything to complicate things.

"I know he is." Sara felt her eyelids getting heavy as Nick peppered her forehead with kisses.

"See you at shift then." Grissom didn't wait for a response from her before he ended the call.

"Yeah." Sara hit the end button and tossed her phone in the general direction of the floor.

"What did he want?" Nick knew it had to be important if he'd called in the middle of the day when most nightshifters should be sleeping.

She pulled herself up so that her lips were a fraction of an inch from his. "They got enough DNA evidence to put Brian away for a long time."

"Good." Nick felt relief that this guy wouldn't get to opportunity to hurt another woman ever again.

Sara leaned in and kissed Nick long and deep. As she pulled away, she smiled at him a bit mischievously. "He said something else too."

Nick raised a curious eyebrow. "Oh, and what's that?" The feel of her body pressed against his was making it difficult to concentrate.

"He said you were a good man." Her smile widened as she felt Nick's hands slide down and rest on her hips.

"He said that." Nick looked somewhat amused, but deep down felt relieved that Grissom seemed to be telling them that he wasn't going to get in the way of them seeing each other.

Sara nodded. "Yeah, and I told him that I thought so too." She smiled at the grin that spread across his face and then let out a yelp as he flipped them over so that he had her pinned to the mattress with his body.

"Well, I think you're a pretty amazing woman." He leaned down and kissed her, smiling against her lips as he felt her hands sliding down his back. Yes, there was definitely time to get acquainted with each other all over again before they had to get up for work. They spent a good deal of time working on that reacquaintance before falling asleep again tangled in each others arms.

If it hadn't been for Sara's alarm clock going off they would have kept on sleeping right through shift. And as they scrambled around trying to locate their clothes and get ready for work, Sara couldn't help but smile. Things could have turned out so much differently. If she hadn't agreed to meet Nick and Warrick at the club, she wouldn't have met Brian and he wouldn't have assaulted her, but then they also wouldn't have found out that he was wanted for rape and murder, and she and Nick might have taken forever to get to what they'd been hinting at with all their flirting for the last four years. Yes, she really had needed to get out more, but she'd be just as happy staying in, as long as she was with Nick.

_**The End**_


End file.
